Go-ahead secured for East Durham housing
A developer search will be launched, after outline plans for up to 282 homes on 47 derelict acres at the former North East Industrial Estate in Peterlee were given the green light.
The county planning committee of Durham County Council cleared the project at its meeting on Friday 26 July.
At 47 acres, the site forms part of the industrial estate, and houses buildings such as a former coach depot. The Horden cemetery is close to the site.
The local authority itself is the promoter for the site at this stage. Over the last year, council officers have worked to acquire various plots of land at the request of councillors, so that a coherent plan could be created. Durham will now market the site to developers.
Funding is already in place from Homes England towards the cost of redeveloping the brownfield site. Additional funding opportunities are also being explored, as remediation is still required.
Plans for housing at the site were initially proposed in 2014 by the council, advised by planner Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners, as was. The site is allocated for housing in the Local Plan adopted in 2020, with up to 390 homes considered possible in line with that earlier application.
E3 Ecology and Fore are among the professional advisors.
Councillors from Durham’s joint administration said that the site “has been a blight on the area for over a decade” but will now be transformed into an estate that will help to meet the significant housing needs in County Durham, including affordable homes provision.
Cllr James Rowlandson, a Conservative and DCC cabinet member for housing, said: “This is a perfect brownfield site for regeneration and will provide much needed good quality and affordable housing, fixing a blight on the landscape which Labour left for so long.”
According to the planning officer’s report, the intention is to start development in the north-west quadrant and work around the site in four clockwise phases.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Mark Wilkes is the cabinet member in charge of neighbourhoods. He said: “For years, we have had to visit this site to deal with anti-social behaviour and frequent fly-tipping incidents. By getting these areas cleared and improved with much needed housing, we will both generate income for the council and save money too.”
The plans can be viewed at DCC’s planning portal with the reference DM/14/01195/OUT.
